Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs childhood traumas revealed by longtime friend as disgraced mogul’s sex trafficking trial looms

Nestled in the sprawling suburbia of New York, a home with well-kept hedgerows and blooming spring flowers is the quintessential model of an American residence. 

But this mid-century split-level home in Mount Vernon holds dark secrets that could explain the lead-up to the gut-churning accusations that disgraced rap mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces as he waits behind bars for his sex trafficking trial to kick off on Monday. 

This is Diddy’s childhood home, where neighbors told DailyMail.com that they witnessed ‘wild’ parties there thrown by his mother, Janice Combs, that could have been the inspiration for his later life of debauchery.

Janice, 84, reportedly invited shady figures from her Harlem days, exposing her young son to nudity and drug use in the home. 

She did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment, but her son’s attorney told Newsweek in January the motivations and credibility of people talking now ‘must be questioned’.

‘Many claim to have knowledge but lack any connection to the truth, while their wild, unfounded theories are cut and sensationalized to appear factual,’ the attorney said.

Neighbors say Diddy’s mother Janice Combs, 84, hosted ‘wild’ parties at his childhood home after moving there from Harlem following his father’s death 

A childhood picture with Tim Patterson, left, and Sean Combs. Patterson said he and ‘young Sean’ were like brothers, but Combs stood out amongst other children with his fancier clothes and accessories

Diddy’s childhood home where Janice allegedly is said to have invited lowlives from her days in Harlem and her son saw naked people in the rooms and drug addicts when he was still young

And on the latest episode of DailyMail.com’s The Trial of Diddy, Tim Patterson, Diddy’s childhood friend said the rapper’s unstable upbringing and access to money at a young age was a recipe for trouble.

‘I do not want to condone, and I don’t condone any of the things that he’s been accused of. 

‘But Sean is special to me, you know? We were big brother, little brother type of moves, and there’s no way I can sit back and allow this to happen without giving context to his life and to his story and giving some type of understanding that he was not born a monster.’ 

In the Peacock documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy, Patterson further elaborated on how Sean’s deranged partying habits were somewhat inherited: ‘Because Sean had no dad, all he had was his mom. Sean’s house, our house, there was always things going on.

‘On the weekend, and we did that a lot. 

‘He was around all type of alcohol, he was around reefer smoke. He was around drug addicts, around lesbians, around homosexuals, he was around pimps and pushers. That was just who was in our house.’ 

Listen to the full interview on the latest episode of The Trial of Diddy: 

Former music producer Tim Patterson, who worked with Sean Combs at Uptown Records in the 1990s, claimed Diddy’s hot temper came from having to protect himself from bullying from a young age

Combs was known for throwing lavish ‘white parties’ in East Hampton, New York, which were also attended by his mother, Janice (to his right)

Patterson said Diddy, 55, was not like other children who grew up in the suburbs of Mount Vernon in the 1960s and 70s. 

His mother, Janice, moved the family from Harlem to the town shortly after Diddy’s father, Melvin, was killed.

Melvin, who was an associate of notorious convicted drug dealer Frank Lucas, was shot dead while sitting in his car in New York City at the age of 33.

Diddy spoke of his loss and called his father a ‘hustler’ in a 2013 interview on his former network Revolt. 

‘They say you can’t miss something you never had, but that’s only a little ways right. There has definitely been times as I’ve gotten older that I’ve missed my father – his presence – not being here…,’ he said. 

‘There are things that you would ask your father. There’s also things that you would celebrate with him that would make him proud.’ 

The move to Mount Vernon marked a dramatic contrast for Diddy, who attended Mount Saint Michael Academy, an all-boys Catholic school.

But his mother was allegedly unable to completely leave the streets behind and she reportedly invited her friends from Harlem to come visit. 

The street in Mount Vernon, New York, where Diddy grew up. When they moved, he attended Mount Saint Michael Academy, an all-boys Catholic school

One neighbor said they remembered ‘a lot of cars on the street and people coming and going and music until late’

One neighbor told DailyMail.com’s The Trial of Diddy podcast: ‘It was a long time ago but I remember there were a lot of cars on the street and people coming and going and music until late. I never went but I heard they were wild parties.’ 

Another neighbor expressed his shock at how somebody on their quiet street had become such an alleged monster, saying: ‘Diddy really messed up. I can’t believe how he turned out.’

Patterson, who claimed he moved into Diddy’s basement as a kid in an interview for the HBO Max The Fall of Diddy documentary, said the rap mogul allegedly was subjected to regular bullying and beatings from his peers, while also allegedly enduring harsh discipline at home.

‘Just to give you an example, Sean was in a quagmire because of him getting picked on,’ Patterson said. ‘It wasn’t the way it worked in his house. You don’t come back as a loser. You have to come back and win.

‘If someone takes something from you, you go get it back, or you have to deal with the consequences. So, Sean had to step up to the bullies. Sooner or later, and this was more in his adolescent years, but it got to a point where it just became too much for him.’

Patterson refused to comment further on the allegations but told The Trial of Diddy podcast that the missing paternal influence in Combs’ young life could’ve been detrimental for an impressional boy. 

Patterson claimed he moved into Diddy’s basement as a kid in an interview for the HBO Max The Fall of Diddy documentary

Patterson declined to delve into Diddy’s allegations but said not having a father was a recipe for disaster and that Janice allegedly had a lot of influence on him growing up

‘My dad instilled some things in me that let me know there’s only but so far people can go with you – win, lose, or draw,’ Patterson said. ‘And these might’ve been some of the things Sean could’ve gotten as a child had he had a father, right? 

‘In my home, there were boots and there were high-heeled shoes in the closet. In Sean’s home, there were high-heeled shoes. There were no boots. So that makes sense. There was something missing from his maturing.’ 

Diddy, 55, is scheduled to begin trial with opening statements on May 12, following jury selection, which will start on May 5. 

He was indicted on racketeering conspiracy, two charges of sex trafficking and two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Prosecutors allege Combs drugged and coerced women into sexual activities with male prostitutes.

Investigators said they found drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil that were intended to be used for orgies known as ‘freak offs’. 

Tim Patterson, who helped produce legendary hip-hop artists such as Notorious B.I.G., left the music industry in the mid-2010s

Sean Combs performs at the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour at ORACLE Arena on September 30, 2016 in Oakland, California

Combs pleaded not guilty and has vehemently denied all the allegations, and his lawyers intend to discuss the rapper’s ‘swinger lifestyle’ and claims the threesomes were consensual. 

The allegations were a shock to childhood friend Patterson, who claims Combs never showed him ‘that side’. 

Patterson said Combs, who is three years younger, was destined to become a star. 

Patterson points to a picture of the two in front of Combs’ childhood home in Mount Vernon. Both were smiling and posing in their bellbottom pants, but the young Combs was decked out with jewelry, a stylish bucket hat and fancier clothing.

Patterson said Combs’ sense of style, talent for dancing and knack for entertaining was influenced by the burgeoning movement of hip-hop.

‘As he got older and as I got older, you couldn’t help but not be around hip-hop because it was a culture. It was a lifestyle. It was a certain type of sneaker, was certain type of pants, it was a certain type of hat. 

An artist’s drawing of a gray-haired Diddy as he appeared in front of U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian during a recent court hearing

Diddy’s sons King and Justin Combs walking into court alongside Janice on November 22 for a pretrial court hearing 

‘It was a certain way to talk. It was a certain way to walk. And Sean being from Harlem, he had all of this in him. He had all this flavoring.’ 

By the time he was 17, Combs landed an internship at Uptown Records and quickly rose the ranks as the label’s A&R director and was responsible for finding, signing, and developing musical talent.

As he started his trajectory to success, Combs brought on his ‘big brother’ Patterson to Uptown as his intern.   

Combs’s angry outbursts and cursing out subordinates became legendary, but higher-ups turned a blind eye because of the talent and money he brought to the label, Patterson said.

‘He’s 17, but he’s got carte blanche access to the music industry,’ Patterson said. ‘Every day was a mess. He was a mess. 

‘You think he had decorum? You think he had it together? He’s 17. He never got it together at 25. Shawn was just like he told you. He was the little bad boy every day.’

Diddy, 55, is scheduled to begin trial with opening statements on May 12, following jury selection, which will start on May 5 

The outbursts and outrageous spending finally came to a head when Combs was fired at Uptown, Patterson said. But when Combs was quickly picked up and brokered a deal with Clive Davis’s Arista Records in 1993, he was able to create Bad Boy Records. 

As he gained more success, Combs became untouchable as his behavior and take-no-prisoners attitude became both feared and celebrated, his childhood friend said.

Combs was eventually celebrated in the upper echelon of society and partied with celebrated designers like Tommy Hilfiger and other A-Listers such as Oprah Winfrey and Donald Trump, Patterson said. 

‘That type of behavior doesn’t stick today,’ Pattersons said. ‘But back then, there were no examples, no blueprints, no references of Puffy’s. He was the first 17-year-old kid hanging with Russell Simmons, Andre Harrell, Brett Ratner, Clive Davis. 

‘He was the exception because there was no reference to him. He was so interesting to the Hilfigers. He was so interesting to the Trumps. He was so interesting to the Winfreys – that this kid’s got a magnetism about him and he’s the one behind these people.’

Patterson said 30 decades of money, power and thinking he is invincible has caught up to Diddy. However, the former producer is certain Combs will not back down.

‘I’m sure he’s given every thought to everything, but Sean is the type who really believes he’s innocent,’ Patterson said. ‘He doesn’t feel the things that he’s accused of is what he’s done. He doesn’t feel that. I know him.’ 

Patterson declined to comment about the parties when contacted by DailyMail.com and nobody answered at the door of the property.

Diddy’s lawyers and his office did not respond to a request for comment.

For all the latest updates on this shocking case, search for The Trial of Diddy, available wherever you get your podcasts now.